Mary Jo Lechowicz, MD

Since the creation of the World Health Organization’s nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma category, the attempt to further classify, describe, and improve treatment in this entity has been underway. There has been quite a bit of confusion and frustration regarding diagnosis, staging, and treatment approaches. With his article in this issue of ONCOLOGY, Dr. Au has attempted to improve our knowledge of current approaches to NK/T-cell lymphomas, providing a thorough and contemporary review of the clinical management of these difficult tumors. The following commentary reflects a deep appreciation for the author’s work and expands upon a few points not previously highlighted.

The spectrum of CD30+ lymphoproliferative diseases of the skin includes CD30+ cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma, lymphomatoid papulosis, as well as borderline cases. These entities constitute the second most common group of cutaneous lymphomas according to the newly revised World Health Organization and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer consensus classification. Recent progress in immune and molecular biology, and identification of therapeutic targets have increased our understanding of these diseases and have led to novel treatment approaches. This review will provide an update on recent findings of immunologic, molecular, cytogenetic features and treatment strategies for patients with CD30+ lympho-proliferative diseases.